Road-preparing mechanism.



Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

5 SHEETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, n. C.

H. F. BERRY.

ROAD PREPARING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11, 1912.

1,073,021. Patented S 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

coLuMnn} PLANOGRAPH 60.,wAsHlNnToN, n. c.

H. P. BERRY.

ROAD PREPARING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEE 3.

H. F. BERRY.

ROAD PREPARING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

1,073,021. Patented Sept. 9, 1913.v

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH CO.,WASHINGTON. D. c.

H. F. BERRY.

ROAD PREPARING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

1,073,021. Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH C0.,\vAsmNG'r0N. D. c.

HENRY FRANK BERRY, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENdLANn:

ROAD-PREPARING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, i913.

Application filed March '11, 1912. Serial No. 683,030.

To all whom it may concern Be it known-that I, HENRY FRANK BERRY, a citizen-of Great Britain, residing at 9 Victoria street, iVestminster, London, S. England, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Preparing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises improvements relating to the heating anddrying of stone and other materials for use on roads and like surfaces and relates to the manufacture of macadam in which tar'or similar material is employed as a binding agent.

I have found that to dry stone and like materials sufficiently to enable their being effectually coated with tar and like viscous liquids or compositions it is not sufficient to apply heat alone or to introduce airalone or in conjunction with the heat. Stone 1n a more or less damp condition appears to be protected against such heat by a film or skin of cold air and moisture which on account of the porosity of the surface is supported by the moisture underlying the surface and is diflicult to remove and while in place acts as an insulator. To remove such a protect ing film or skin at any rate to efliciently and rapidly dry the material I find it is necessary to have powerful frictional contact of the air with the stone and in my application filed March 11, 1912, Serial Number 683,029, I have set forth and claimed a process of treating the stone for the manufacture of macadam in which bitumen or similar material is used as a binding agent.

My present invention comprises an apparatus which is particularly suitable for treating stone by drying and heating it by means of a rapid current of atmospheric air preparatory to coating it with the desired bind ing material.

In order that the invention may be thoroughly understood and easily carried into practice I have appended hereunto five sheets of drawings illustrating the invention. 1

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a wheeled frame with an engine and a pressure blower and an air heater mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a wheeled frame on which a container for the material to be dried is mounted. Fig. 4 shows a form of connection from the air heater shown at Fig. 1 to the air chambers of the container shown at Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing the arrangement of the container where the drying takes place. Fig. (3 is a sectional view showing a modified form of a detail of construction of my invention.

In this apparatus I employ in combination with any suitable container for the stone in which it may be arranged in a manner convenient for treatment, a pump or blower for forcing air and means for driv ing it so that it is capable of giving a supply of considerable volume of air at a pressure at the blower sufficient to insure the air traveling into the stone with considerable rapidity so that it has a most powerful frictional contact with the surfaces of the stone. I employ a retort or any other suitable means for heating the air prior to its contact with the material; such means preferably being contrived so as not to present obstacles to the passage of the air which would give a considerable resistance to its flow and reduce the velocity below that which is effective for the purpose.

In the apparatus I have illustrated and using a Root-s type of blower I have found that a pressure of {ths of a pound to the square inch at the blower exit gives a satisfactory current of air through the stone and the pressure should not be below *Q-ths of a pound to the square inch.

In this apparatus a is a suitable running frame or other arrangement giving portability and 6 represents a suitable engine or motor mounted thereon and 0 an air pump or blower of any approved pattern capable of giving the desired rapid current of air; the discharge pipe (Z from the pump or blower 0 is connected to the shell of the heat ing apparatus 6. In the power part of the shell of the heating apparatus is a grate f for a fire or provision for any other suitable form of applying heat. Above the heating provision and connected to the discharge of the blower is a chamber 9 extending over the heating provision and along for the full length of the grate and this chamber forms a retort. The air is led into the retort at one end 7t and out at the other, the outlet being preferably arranged at the top as at 2' to lead' to a second similar retort in which the air has to travel in the reverse direction as the outlet L- is at the end remote from the inlet and opposite the inlet It to the first retort. The retorts h and j are preferably of a depth similar to that of the air passage or may be less thanthat but of. greater width so as to spread the air over, the heating surfaces without unduly imped ing its flow through theapparatus.

When two or more retorts arensedhthe lower one extendsthe greater part of, the.

way across the apparatus but leaves a space at the side and the hot gases from the grate pass along the underside of this retort and up at the side to the underside of-the inext; thersecond one EQXtQIldS from the other side leaving the space at the opposite side of the apparatus so that the gasespass between the top of the one retort andthe underside of the other and are then; carried: round the upper retort toan outlet at the'top, see l ligs. 1. and 2. I

.The retorts are substantially built and v the air passagcszinto themand'froni one tothe next and out to the connection to: the

stonedrying apparatus are preferably as.

-nearly uniform as possible with the discharge 'pipe from the blower: so that the flow of air L's-impeded as littleas possible and no pressure =1s wasted in: overcoming, un-

necessary resistance.

The containerfor:the material here shown;

'comprisesn large: rectangular receptacle-l mounted on: a suitable running frame 171. lhe receptacle-is provided with a seriesot tilting plates nplorming successive floorsv which are preferablycapable of being tilted in opposite directions for adjacent floors to nsure the constant change of surface of the material as it is dumped from floor'to floor.

This construction was described in an ap-:

plication for patent filed on the 19th ()cto ber, 1910, andserially numbered 587982, and

the workingof-theapparatus as stated in that specification except that instead ofbe ing heated-by exposure to the hot gases.

- rising from a gratethe stone is exposedg-in.

the present apparatus, to the rapid current of hot atmospheric-air coming from the heater 0. For this purpose I provide air chambers 0 extending along the whole of each side of the containerZ. The chambers '0 communicate with each other by means=of a transverse chamber p, Fig. 3, which. 1S

spaces betaeen thevarious floors by means of holes min the walls of-the chambers. 0 and these holes may be formed smaller on the side where the connection If is arranged to equalize as far as possible the current of auxateach side.v Theholes u may be graduated in size along the machine and at the diliierent floors if desired to'enable the dis tribution to be as even as possible. For this purpose it may be convenient to-iforin holes of a regular SIZE through the walls at each "side of-the machine and tap those holes with a screw thread so that sleeves m withvarious bores may beinserted as found desirable :to effect an even distribution of the hot air.

BGlOW'tlIQ bQttOHIH001 of-plates n 1 arrange asuitable-eonveyer oyonto which the dried-material is dumped-and isconducted to; one end, preferably the rear of the machine, where itmay be delivered into perforated vessels placed-in tanks of tar 0r :likewrscous'liquids ormay be suitably conveyed such tanks and be immersed in the tar, etc. which is preferably'hot. v The con veyer may-be driven by any suitable means eitlrer-byhandror power.

In working; this apparatus-the material to be dried is throw-ir ontopthe upper floor of plates 12- and the blower-or pump driven at the requisite speed to=givethe rapid current of l airwhich is passed through: the retorts and j an-dbecomes heated to considerable "temperature; The air is blown into the chambers-*6 o-f- -the drier-or container and dischargedbettveen the various floors and onto the stone and througha all the interst-ices of same. wTliestone on like material is thrown from floor to fioor in: succession and fresh supplies mtroduced.and: the dry- I 111g rapidly takes place, the stone. meanwhile being heated so xthat when it is oncthe bot- Etomfloorof plates n itl has about--the temperature suitable for takin-g up :aneife'ctive coating of: tar or like' viscous liquid or compound. It is dumped onto thenconveyer and delivered out of the machine and dipped into or passed through the coatinguimaterial in the desired -=manner.

I donot claim any: particularmethod of coating the material with tar: but :although dippingi'by meansof perforated buckets or containers is satisfact-ory itis better to use mechanical mixers which are" Well known in analogous arts. Forhinstancean open revolving pan is used in somezcases into which the bindinguna-terial is placed and the stone .1s dumpedi intdthe pan and s kept moving asis also the liquid. *In some types of mixers thee-pan :is stationaryl: but mechanical devices are actuated inside the pair-to keep the: materials ilr motion.

With: a :goodwfire maintained in theair heating lQtOliIllwit high: temperature is given" to the air in its-passage through the retort and moreover theuheatingcanreadily be controlled: by. .opening the doors of the furnace or by. providing-.-separate controllable :openings. for this purpose, orby regulating forced draft to the fire. :The temperature can be, gaged much more readily than on machines where the hot gases from a fire. directly heat the stone etc. so that in addition to more rapid and efi'ective drying of the stone the heating of it may be controlled so that it leaves the machine at the temperature which is found best for the binding material that is being used for coating. This is of great importance as it is necessary for securing a proper binding coating that the stone or material shall enter the binding material at a suitable temperature for securing the best adhesion of the coating material on the stone to suit the varying cir cumstances of the use of the finished macadam. The range of temperature varies from 110 F, which is suitable for some tar compounds, to as high as 400 F, for some asphaltic bitumen compounds.

I have found that the rapidity of the current in its passage through the interstices of the stone etc. is satisfactory in this apparatus if a volume of about 10,000 cubic feet of hot air per hour is put through the machine for every ton of stone etc. to be treated.

Where the word macadam is used in this specification or the claims hereafter it is intended as comp-rising stone in various grades and sizes or similar materials used for the purpose of forming or constructing or repairing roads and similar surfaces.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent then is:

1. An apparatus for preparing road making material of the character set, forth comprising in combination, a casing having heating means delivering hot gases of combustion thereto, an air retort in and closed with respect to said casing and having an inlet and an outlet, a container for the road making material connected with the outlet of said retort, and means connected with the inlet of said retort for forcing air through said retort into frictional contact with the material in said container, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for preparing road making material of the character set forth comprising in combination, a vehicle, a casing thereon having heating means delivering hot gases of combustion thereto, a retort in and closed with respect to said casing, and having an inlet and an outlet, a second vehicle, a container for road making material mounted on said second vehicle, a jointed connection connecting the outlet of said retort with the container, and means connected with the inlet of said retort and mounted on said first named vehicle for forcing air under pressure through said retort into frictional contact with the material in said container, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising in combination, a container for the material and an air chamber having perforations opening to said container, means for supplying air to said chamber under pressure, plugs fitted in said perforations and having openings therethrough.

4:. An apparatus for preparing road making material of the class described comprising in combination, a vehicle provided with hot-air supply mechanism, a socket-like discharge for the air from said mechanism, a second vehicle having a container for the material provided with a socket-like intake for the air, and a rigid pipe connect-ion having ball-like ends fitting said socket and forming a communicating connection between said air supply mechanism and said container, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus for use in the manufacture of macadam in which bitumen or similar material is used as a binding agent, comprising a suitable running or supporting frame, an engine on said frame, a pump or blower driven by said engine, an air heating retort arranged on the pressure side of said pump in combination With a container for the stone or like material, said container being provided with floors composed of plates that may be tilted to dump the material from floor to fioor, a discharging conveyor, said conveyer being arranged beneath the last tiltable floor.

6. An apparatus for use in the manufacture of macadam in which bitumen or similar material is used as a binding agent, comprising a suitable running or supporting frame, an engine on said frame, a pump or blower driven by said engine, an air heatretort arranged on the pressure side of said pump in combination with a container for the stone or like material, the said air heater comprising one or more chambers such as g or j arranged above a furnace or suitable provision, substantially as set forth and shown.

7. In apparatus for use in the manufac ture of macadam in which bitumen or similar material is used, a container for the material to be treated, trays or fioors in said container on which the material is disposed, and air chambers in said containers, said chambers having perforations in the wall toward the material.

8. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising in combination a suitable power unit, a pump or blower and an air heating retort all arranged on a suitable running frame, a container for the material to be treated on a separate running frame, and a suitable connection from air heater to said container, said connection comprising sockets with shaped ends acting in conjunction with a pipe with ends whose outer contour fits and makes a joint with the inner contour of the sockets, substantially as described.

9.. In the manufacture at the site where.

it is required for use on a road or thelike, of macadam -1n whlch bltumen or simllar material 1s used asa binding agent, an apparatus for treating the stone and-like materialsusedfor such macadam comprising a suitable running or supporting frame or frames with a motor driving a pump .01 blower which is of suitable size and power to force a large volume 01": air at considerable rapidity as set forth herein with an air heater arranged on the pressure side of said pump ofi'ering as little resistance as :possible to .thean passage, and a SHltitblQCOntEtlIlGl for the material, in which thematerial may be changed about to exposeall its surfaces,

the container having air distributing means into which the-heated air from the retort is forcedi and is distributed throughout the material. I

In testimony whereof, I, the said HENRY FRANKBERRY, have signed my name to this.

specification in the presence-of-two subscribing witnesses,- this Qth. day of February, 1912.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 'Patents Washington, 11.0. 

